Eagle News
1/21/14 - A Newsletter for the Haynes Bridge Staff
Happy Birthday!
JANUARY BIRTHDAYS
2- Cathy Riley
5 - Cathy Davis
5 - Veronica Moultrie
12 - Aysha Farooqi
19 - Jenny Keiger
20 - Diane Stephenson
21 - Katie Boglione
24 - Josh Robinson
Dates to Remember
1/20-Monday
- Holiday
1/21-Tuesday
- Mystery Lesson PD
1/22-Wednesday
- Georgia Writing Test (8th); Practice Writing Assessment (6th and 7th); Alternate daily schedule
- Public Detention-Hilpertshauser/Evans
- Basketball @ Holcomb
1/23-Thursday
- Science Department Meeting
- Reading Max PD
1/24-Friday
- 30 Year Celebration/Pep Rally
- Basketball @ Rivertrail
1/25-Saturday
- FCS Technology Competition
1/27-Monday
- Research Committee Meeting
1/28-Tuesday
- Leadership
1/29-Wednesday
- Grade Level Meetings
- Public Detention-Bennett/Casey
- Basketball @ HBMS
1/30-Thursday
- Experts on Adolescence Series-Internet Safety
1/31-Friday
- Spelling Bee
Principal's Points
We are excited to welcome back Mrs. Alison Hall, from her maternity leave, this Wednesday!
On February 5th, Ms. Orrie Henry, will be joining us at our grade level meetings. Her purpose is to demonstrate the assessment capacity of Fulton Connect. She will be sharing different areas where you can find premade assessments and also who you how to upload your own assessments. Please be prepared that this training will take both planning periods. If you do not have planning back-to-back, we are working out a schedule, so you can still attend the full session.
Last week (with the exception of the Connections meeting), I shared a math program called Teach-to-One. If you are interested in learning more, please visit http://www.newclassrooms.org/reimagine.html Anne Clark and I visited a school in Brooklyn last week and Aysha Farooqi will be visiting a school next week. We are exploring this program to see if it is right for our school and student population. Whether it is this program or something else, we will continue to investigate tools that will support you and our students in the quest to personalize each child's learning experiences.
Have a fabulous week and enjoy your dress up days!
Lauren
Weekly Team Time Assignments
This week we will be celebrating our school's 30th Anniversary. In support of this celebration, team time will focus on activities related to this occasion.
Monday
No School (MLK Jr. Holiday)
Tuesday (80’s day)
1. Students will watch a short informative video on the 80’s (decade in review). Teachers may facilitate a brief discussion of the major occurrences from that decade as it compares to the current state of our world.
2. Teachers will review the pep rally guidelines for behavior with students to prepare them for the event on Friday.
3. Students will work together to decorate their hallways for spirit week.
Wednesday (90’s day)
1. Students will watch a short informative video on the 90’s (decade in review). Teachers may facilitate a brief discussion of the major occurrences from that decade as it compares to the current state of our world.
2. Teachers will review the pep rally guidelines for behavior with students to prepare them for the event on Friday.
3. Students will work together to decorate their hallways for spirit week.
Thursday (30 years from now)
1. Teachers may facilitate a brief discussion with students of the major occurrences they think will exist 30 years from now as it compares to the current state of our world.
2. Teachers will review the pep rally guidelines for behavior with students to prepare them for the event on Friday.
3. Students will then work together to complete the decorations of their hallways for spirit week.
Friday Finish
Teachers will review pep rally protocol with students. (see below)
Assessment Corner
Media/Technology Support
Please sign up for the lab when you are using it. Even if you do it on the spur of the moment. I am trying to get the labs in fabulous shape for use for testing and often restart whole labs from my office. When I walk into a lab to fix something and see a class in there not on the schedule - it worries me that I am restarting computers when there are students working in there. If you are uncertain on how to sign up - please let me know. It doesn't take a moment of my time and it doesn't bother me in the least.
Professional Development
Teaching Quote of the Week:
“When you study great teachers... you will learn much more from their caring and hard work than from their style.” -William Glasser
Upcoming PD
01/21/13- 7:30 AM Room 84- " Mystery Lesson"
01/23/13- 8:10 AM-8:35 AM Room 84- “Reading Max”- Strategies for helping students to read and comprehend non-fiction informational text across all curriculums.
01/29/13- 8:10 AM- 8:35 AM Room 84- “Teaching Soft Skills”- Strategies for teaching students how to function in a team environment- instilling basic people skills.
Thought of the Week:
Teaching as Relationships- article reprinted from http://juiceboxesandcrayolas.blogspot.com/2011/04/10-fail-proof-ways-to-build.htm
10 Fail-Proof Ways to Build Relationships with Your Students
When I was student teaching, the principal at the school kindly offered to do a mock-interview with me for practice. During the interview, he asked me this question: "Do you want your students to like you?" Caught off-guard, I mumbled some kind of inarticulate, "Well, no, but they need to respect me..." type of answer. Afterwards, he told me to throw that answer right in the trash and tell the truth: of course I want my students to like me. And it's true. In order to really teach kids, you first need to capture their hearts. When they like you, they'll do ANYTHING for you. I truly believe that teaching is a relational endeavor. Here are my favorite ways to build relationships with students.
1. Greet them at the door every morning with a handshake, eye contact, a smile, and a "Good morning, (first name)."
I do this every morning. It's a quick, easy way to interact one-on-one with the kids. I can quickly ask them how they are, assess who is still half asleep, and let the kids know that I'm glad they're here. It's a wonderful start to the day for all of us, me included!
2. Respond to their journal entries as often as possible with personal notes.
If you have your kids write in a journal, every couple days or weeks collect them and read an entry or two. You don't need to write much in response, just enough to show them that you are interested in what they have to say.
3. Celebrate their achievements with them privately.
When one of my students gets a particularly good grade on a test, especially if it's unexpected or if they have been working extra hard, I like to call them over to my desk and share it with them that way. It's wonderful seeing their eyes light up and being able to share in that excitement with them. It also lets them know that you really truly are proud of them.
4. Learn about their lives.
From the first day of school, find out what sports they play, how many siblings they have, what kind of books they like, etc. Then mention these things to the student as often as possible. Ask how football or cheerleading practice was. Wish them luck at their soccer game. Find out how that book was that they were reading all week.
5. Share your life with your students (in appropriate ways).
In my experience, this helps the kids see you as a real person, and opens up the door for them to share their lives with you. I tell kids about my running, what book I am reading, etc. I don't go into details, but share just enough so that they see that I have interests and hobbies.
6. Regularly say these words out loud to the kids, as cheesy as they may sound: "I like you," "I'm glad you're here," "I'm so happy you're part of our class," "It's great to see you today," "I care about you," "I want to help you succeed."
Trust me when I say that these little things WORK. Especially for tough kids who don't hear these things at home. Even when a kid is upset with you, say them. One of my kids earlier this year who had big time behavior difficulties was telling me on repeat how he hates this school and hates me. I just smiled and said, "I'm sorry you hate this school and hate me. I really like you. I will keep on liking you all year long no matter what." Unfortunately he moved in January, but let me assure you that by the time he left he was like putty in my hand thanks to the amazing relationship we had built.
7. Call parents to share celebrations in front of the student.
I save this one for really special achievements to keep it extra meaningful for the kids. Sometimes if a student makes BIG growth on the MAP test, I will call the parents with the student and tell them what special news we have, and then let the student talk. I will tell you, it is amazing to see how excited the students get when I call home for something positive, and even more amazing to hear the love and pride in the parents' voices. I haven't done this much this year, but I plan to look for more opportunities in the upcoming weeks.
8. Have lunch with a few kids every once in awhile.
This is another one that doesn't have to be frequent--doing it just every now and then keeps it special. Sometimes I will invite a student or two to have lunch with me in the library or some place. I usually do this as a reward for extra hard work, or some times with a student I am especially concerned about socially to talk. It shows them that they are special to me, and it's great interacting with the kids outside the classroom.
9. Be consistent.
Consistency helps build trust. When kids know they can count on you to reward them when they do the right things and correct them when they do the wrong things, they will see that you are dependable and trustworthy. A little trust goes a long way in the classroom--kids who trust you will risk everything for you in learning, because they know you will be there to help them when they need it.
10. Deliver consequences with empathy.
I can't take credit for this one; it's straight from Teaching with Love and Logic by Fay & Funk (my absolute favorite book about classroom management! Read more about some of the ways I use L&L in my classroom here). The idea here is that you can build relationships even when you're delivering a consequence to kids. The long and short of it is that while no one likes giving consequences, kids make mistakes and we need to follow through with what we say we're going to do. But that doesn't mean we have to destroy our relationships with the kids in the process. In my experience, when I deliver consequences with empathy, it tends to make our relationship STRONGER almost instantly. Here's how it looks for a disruptive kid, for example: "What choice were you making during class? Do you think that the best choice you could have made? Listen, I really like you. I care about you, and I love having you in our class. But when you choose to [fill in the blank], it makes it tough for you and others to learn, and for me to teach. Do you think you can turn things around right now, or do you need a little break first? When you're ready, we'll move on and keep learning." The message is simple: I like YOU. I care about YOU. I do not like your CHOICE.
Useful Resources:
All you ever needed to know about effective teaching strategies: http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/pedagogies.html This website, Pedagogy in Action, gives detailed descriptions of every imaginable teaching tactic and provides actual examples, as well as links to deeper resources.
Extra Help
Depression: Helping Students in the Classroom by Thomas Huberty, PhD.
Depression is complex, particularly when it coexists with other emotional and behavioral problems. Often, there are family problems, making a difficult situation even more challenging. The good news is that, with proper intervention, most children and youth can overcome depression and lead happy and productive lives. In some cases professional therapy and medications may be needed, which may be beyond the purview of the school. Although a student might need some direct counseling or therapy, there are many things that teachers and others can do to help the depressed student. Some suggestions include:
Develop a relationship. Approach the depressed student and try to develop a working and collaborative relationship. Do not be afraid to talk with the student. Many times, depressed students are seeking someone who cares about them, although it might not seem that way. Above all, don’t give up on them.
Use positive approaches. Do not use punishment, sarcasm, disparagement, punishment, or other negative techniques. They are not effective and likely will only further reinforce feelings of incompetence and low self-esteem, which may deepen the depression.
Remember that these students are not choosing to be depressed. They want to feel better and to do well just as you want them to do well. When depressed, they lack the personal resources to do their best work. As an analogy, we would not expect someone with a reading disability to read at grade level. Punitive approaches are not recommended in these cases and, instead, it is best to give extra help or support. The student with depression needs to receive extra support and caring, as well, not criticism, punishment, or indifference. Consider ways to give the extra support and attention they need, while recognizing that the student may be doing the best he or she can do at the time.
Consider making adjustments or accommodations in assignments or tasks. This approach does not mean that expectations are lowered or that the student with depression should be given unearned grades. However, give more time, break assignments into smaller pieces, offer extra help in setting up schedules or study habits, or pair the student with others who express an interest in helping. Accommodations like these are provided often for students with learning disabilities. There is no reason that the student with depression cannot receive similar considerations.
Provide opportunities for success. To the extent possible, arrange experiences so that the student can be successful and be recognized for successes. Schedule pleasant activities and provide opportunities for successful leadership. It is very important that depressed students feel accepted as a part of the school and that teachers believe in their competence.
Seek help from support personnel. Consult with your school psychologist, counselor, or social worker to get suggestions of what to do for specific students. Each case is different and requires individual planning.
(This was just an excerpt. The entire article may be found here)